Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso is a renowned expert in Security and International Relations
A renowned expert in Security and International Relations, Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has stated that the primary factor driving the persistent conflict in Bawku is political interference.
In an interview with Channel One Newsroom on July 27, 2025, he cautioned that military deployments alone are not sufficient to combat or resolve the crisis emphasising that the underlying political tensions must be confronted directly.
Dr Antwi-Danso further noted that the government’s continued reliance on military and police interventions has yielded minimal results, ultimately failing to address the root cause fueling the conflict.
“Military presence, police presence in their numbers have failed to solve the problem. There are several pillars propping up the conflict. It could be history that has not been properly related, and we’re adding on and twisting history”, a report by citinewsroom on July 27 quoted him as saying.
“It may even be the way the media has handled the issue. It may be the people themselves or intra-community miscommunication. It could be politics,” he added.
He further stated that political influence lies at the heart of the Bawku crisis, warning that unless these interferences are dismantled or brought to an end, the conflict will persist despite continuous security interventions.
“In the Bawku case, politics is one of the greatest beams supporting the conflict,” he said.
“So, until you remove these props one by one for the conflict triangle to fall, you have done nothing. So, using the military often is only a stopgap,” he stressed.
His remarks follow recent violence in Bawku which tragically claimed the lives of several students from Bawku Senior High School.
Following this incident, the government has imposed a curfew and ordered the evacuation of students from high-risk conflict zones.
VKB/VPO